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Karnataka Urges Polluter-Pays System to Tackle Rising River Pollution
✍️ TOI City
🗓 09 Nov 2026, 10:05 AM
👁 15
Experts in Karnataka are demanding a polluter‑pay framework as untreated sewage continues to degrade river health, citing high biochemical oxygen demand and fecal contamination across multiple stretches.
Karnataka is grappling with severe river pollution caused by untreated sewage from municipal, industrial and agricultural sources. Recent studies have recorded alarmingly high biochemical oxygen demand and fecal contamination levels in several stretches of the state’s major rivers.
The data point to a dire need for functional sewage treatment plants, yet the state’s infrastructure and funding for such facilities remain inadequate. Without proper treatment, the rivers continue to deteriorate, affecting ecosystems and communities that depend on them.
Legal actions against polluters have been initiated, but experts argue that enforcement is weak and systemic issues limit the effectiveness of these measures. They contend that a polluter‑pay system would create a financial incentive for responsible waste management and ensure sustainable river restoration.
The call for a polluter‑pay framework reflects a growing consensus among scientists and environmentalists that the burden of cleaning Karnataka’s rivers should fall on those who generate the pollution, rather than on taxpayers alone.
The data point to a dire need for functional sewage treatment plants, yet the state’s infrastructure and funding for such facilities remain inadequate. Without proper treatment, the rivers continue to deteriorate, affecting ecosystems and communities that depend on them.
Legal actions against polluters have been initiated, but experts argue that enforcement is weak and systemic issues limit the effectiveness of these measures. They contend that a polluter‑pay system would create a financial incentive for responsible waste management and ensure sustainable river restoration.
The call for a polluter‑pay framework reflects a growing consensus among scientists and environmentalists that the burden of cleaning Karnataka’s rivers should fall on those who generate the pollution, rather than on taxpayers alone.